Category: Politicians

260. domingo matheu

Published by Robert on 24 November 2008

Domingo Matheu, Recoleta Cemetery

Born near Barcelona in 1765, Matheu piloted vessels in his youth after training in the Spanish Navy. He later formed a partnership with his brother after obtaining permission from the crown to engage in colonial trade. It was the start of a venture which would change his life. Matheu permanently moved to Buenos Aires in 1793 after several trips to the area.

As one of the major businessmen in city, Matheu also became influential in politics. He used his military training to defend Buenos Aires against the British during the 1806 & 1807 invasions & was one of the most involved citizens during the May Revolution against Spain.

Whether Matheu identified strongly with his new home or was mainly considering business opportunities is unclear, but he effectively betrayed his homeland by becoming a member of the Primera Junta in 1810 at the age of 44. During the absence of the President while on a trip to reorganize the Northern Army, Matheu made decisions on his behalf. Although not officially named President of the Primera Junta, Matheu ruled the new nation for several months.

Domingo Matheu, Recoleta Cemetery

The participation of Matheu in the early days of Argentina is often hidden behind more recognized names such as Moreno, Saavedra, & Belgrano. Besides performing civic duties, Matheu’s most important contribution during that time was financial. Wealthy & generous, Matheu helped fund the creation of expeditions which eventually persuaded regions of modern-day Uruguay, Paraguay & Bolivia to join the independence movement.

After the dissolution of the Junta in 1811, Matheu donated additional funds for the army & manufactured rifles for Argentina during most of the war with Spain. He passed away in 1831 & was buried in an oddly off-center spot in Recoleta Cemetery. Barely visible these days, the simple inscription reads:

Domingo Matheu
Procer de la Revolución de Mayo
Vocal de la Primera Junta
Fallecido el 28 de marzo de 1831
La Patria agradecida

The tomb became a National Historic Monument in 1946.

229. fitting final visit ◊

Published by Robert on 26 July 2008

During my last week in Buenos Aires before moving to Sydney, I wanted to make one final visit to Recoleta Cemetery. No camera, no notes… just stroll around & appreciate a place that I’ve come to know better than almost anyone. So today when Marcelo came up from La Plata to say goodbye, we decided to make that final visit together.

Good thing Mar brought his camera because it was the 56th anniversary of Eva Perón’s death. Talk about an appropriate day to make my final call. With almost the same amount of flowers as on her birthday, the crowds were larger & there was much more Peronista propaganda taped near her family vault.

Eva Perón, Recoleta Cemetery

The going was slow, so I read more praise while waiting:

Eva Perón, Recoleta Cemetery

Lots of posters covered the door & a married couple hung around, explaining to everyone what the fuss was about:

Eva Perón, Recoleta Cemetery

This was an interesting wreath given by the National Secretariat of the 62 Peronist Organizations… formed to keep the Peronist ideal alive after his ousting in 1955:

Eva Perón, Recoleta Cemetery

I’ve always thought that the surrounding families wouldn’t appreciate such a spectacle. Eva Perón doesn’t necessarily belong in Recoleta Cemetery—a subtle nuance that most visitors fail to understand. As a champion of the people & an enemy of the upper class, Eva should be resting in peace elsewhere rather than surrounded by those who would have likely hated her. So on any day when Peronistas make a fuss over the Duarte family vault, Eva’s neighbors get plastered with images which are probably not very agreeable to them.

Regardless of political implications, the day was perfect for my last visit to Recoleta Cemetery… until I return to Buenos Aires next year.

221. familia de lucas gonzález ◊

Published by Robert on 10 July 2008

Oriented for maximum attention, a statue of a seated woman marks the end of a walkway in the rear section of the cemetery. Neighboring tombs have been skillfully used as a frame:

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

The base of the statue group aligns correctly with the family crypt, but both cross & woman turn slightly to take advantage of the location & impress visitors:

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

The most famous member of the González family is actually an in-law. Roque Sáenz Peña married Rosa González Delgado (daughter of Lucas), & the entire back wall is covered with plaques dedicated to Roque. This is an important reminder that visitors should always pay attention to plaques:

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

Both Roque & his father, Luis, had influential careers in politics. During the 1890s father & son were manipulated by opposing factions to run against each other for the presidency. Roque took the high road, declined his own nomination, & let his dad win. He’d get another opportunity, & Roque became President in 1910.

Roque Sáenz Peña did something unexpected after two years in office… he ended decades of election fraud which put families like his own in power & gave the right to vote to every male in Argentina. Universal male suffrage went into effect in 1912, but Roque would not live to witness the first popular election. Dying in office in 1914, Vice-President Victorino de la Plaza took over until Roque’s six-year term finished. In 1916, Hipólito Yrigoyen became the first President elected by popular vote.

Women didn’t receive the right to vote until 1947—one of the lasting accomplishments of Eva Perón. Her motivations were likely more political than for women’s rights since she counted on all the new voters to re-elect Perón for a second, consecutive term in 1952.

Update (30 Dec 2011): This crypt was declared a national historic monument in November 2011.

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210. another president missing ◊

Published by Robert on 18 June 2008

Miguel Juárez Celman, Recoleta Cemetery

Similar to Victorino de la Plaza, the former family vault of President Miguel Juárez Celman sits vacant & forgotten… an odd fate since Celman incited one of the most important events in Argentine history, the Revolution of 1890.

Juárez Celman was born & raised in Córdoba where he studied law. Belonging to an aristocratic family, politics was a natural career path. Moving up in provincial then national government, Juárez Celman succeeded Carlos Tejedor as governor of Buenos Aires in 1880. Surviving Tejedor’s insurrection, Juárez Celman later founded the upper-class political party, Partido Autonomista Nacional (PAN). An alliance with President Roca earned him trust & political capital… so much that Juárez Celman was elected to succeed Roca.

After becoming President, Juárez Celman began to distance himself from Roca & preferred to do things his own way. Concentrating power in his own hands, the public referred to the term of Juárez Celman as a unicato… a one-man rule. After three years in office & with inflation out of control, diverse groups expressed their discontent with Juárez Celman. Upper class families, members of the clergy, university leaders, senators & the emerging middle class joined forces to form the Unión Cívica. Their main goal was to defeat the PAN in upcoming elections. But at the same time, preparations were being made for a coup d’etat.

Leading the Unión Cívica, Leandro Alem conspired with an influential general, Manuel Campos (brother of Luis María Campos). Planned for July 21st, the revolution was aborted by the arrest of key figures… someone had leaked information about the surprise attack. General Campos was taken under custody & while in prison received a visit by none other former President Roca. More sneaky plans were underway.

Miguel Juárez Celman, Recoleta Cemetery

From jail, Campos sent word to Alem to go ahead with their plans & fighting broke out early on July 26, 1890. Juárez Celman’s government forces used Retiro as their base of operations while Alem’s forces were concentrated in Plaza Lavalle, now home of the Supreme Court. Battles took place in the heart of Buenos Aires as civilians took up arms in the attempt to oust Juárez Celman. As the fighting continued for the next few days, General Campos made obvious mistakes in command & gave the government ample time to recover & fight back. Alem noted these irregularities at the time but given the difficult situation, felt he couldn’t argue with Campos. Fighting ended four days later with a truce. While the revolution was not successful in overthrowing the government, the political landscape quickly changed afterwards.

Exactly as conspired, Juárez Celman lost all support & resigned, handing the government to Vice President Carlos Pellegrini. Even though there is no historical record of conversations between General Campos & ex-President Roca, it’s taken for fact that Campos made military mistakes on purpose. He threw the revolution so Roca & his allies could remain in power. All subplots aside, strong civilian support of the attempted revolution marked the beginning of civil society in Argentina & the birth of a radical political party.

There’s not much left to call attention to the Juárez Celman vault. Windows are usually open & the interior is full of frescos, damaged by years of neglect. Exterior plaques which identified the occupants sit on the floor among the rest of the debris. Tomás Juárez Celman is on the left & Miguel hides on the right:

Miguel Juárez Celman, Recoleta Cemetery

Although not the best photo (just sticking in the camera & hoping for the best), it’s evident that all caskets have been moved to another location & one less President rests in peace in Recoleta. Since Juárez Celman was from Córdoba, his family likely returned him there:

Miguel Juárez Celman, Recoleta Cemetery

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198. vicente lópez y planes

Published by Robert on 25 May 2008

Vicente López y Planes, Recoleta Cemetery

With today marking the 198th anniversary of Argentina’s declaration of independence, there’s no better time to discuss the author of the national anthem.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1785, Vicente López y Planes participated in every important event leading to the birth of the new nation. His political career began as secretary of the short-lived First Triumvirate, & he maintained a close friendship with Manuel Belgrano.

As the fight for independence continued in other parts of Argentina, López y Planes was requested to write the lyrics for a military march which later became the national anthem. First played in 1813 at the home of Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson then publicly debuted on May 25th that same year, the song bitterly attacked Spain… a normal reaction given that they were at war. The anthem was later changed to remove the nasty references to Spain, & a shorter version was officially adopted since the original ran a bit long:

Mortals! Hear the sacred cry:
Freedom, freedom, freedom!
Hear the noise of broken chains,
see noble Equality enthroned.
Rises to the heights of the Earth
a new and glorious nation,
its head crowned with laurels,
and at her feet lying a Lion.

Chorus:
May the laurels be eternal,
the ones we managed to win.
Let us live crowned with glory…
or swear to die gloriously.

As minister under the first President Bernardino Rivadavia, López y Planes took charge of the 1827 interim government when Rivadavia resigned. After his one-month presidency ended, he maintained an active role in national politics mainly in the judiciary branch. Other intellectual pursuits found López y Planes as part of a literary society founded by Marcos Sastre.

López y Planes died in 1856, & his crypt was declared a National Historic Monument in 1946. Simply decorated with four corner posts connected with chains, numerous plaques occupy the walls of neighboring tombs. New plaques are generally made of marble instead of bronze or other metals:

Vicente López y Planes, Recoleta Cemetery

The full text of both the original & modified versions of the Argentine national anthem can be found on Wikipedia along with an instrumental recording.